I almost got my little stash cleaned out by such a simple scam!
Lux couldn't accept it!
Just then, Luke happened to look over at her, and Lux stubbornly insisted, "Actually, if I played a few more rounds, I would've figured it out!"
Whether you would've figured it out or not, I have no idea.
But by that point, the con artist would've already taken all your pocket money and disappeared.
Luke didn't say those two lines out loud. He just kept a smile on his face.
The people around them began to disperse. After Lux noticed that, she suddenly let out a miserable cry, "It's over!"
Seeing that, Luke got a little curious and wanted to ask what, exactly, was "over."
"My reputation is finished. Tomorrow, the whole capital is probably going to be talking about how I got scammed like an easy mark."
The moment Lux thought of that, her face went pale.
It was obvious she cared a lot about her image.
Luke stayed silent. He couldn't help feeling that this Lady of the Crownguard family didn't exactly look like the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Lux looked like a balloon that had been deflated—she seemed to have no energy at all, listless and dispirited, but in a strangely adorable way.
"But still, thank you. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have snacks to eat for a long time."
As she spoke, Lux rallied a little. At least she hadn't lost anything substantial.
Seeing that her pocket money hadn't been carried off by the swindler, her mood improved. After picking the gold coins up and putting them back into her purse, she added, "My name is Luxanna. What about you?"
Lux's full name was Luxanna Crownguard.
But usually, people close to her just called her Lux.
"Luke."
Luke introduced himself simply.
The two of them walked while talking, and Lux continued, "If it weren't for you this time, I would've lost a lot. In the future, if there's anything you need my help with, you have to come find me. I live with the Crownguards—just give my name and that's enough."
Luke immediately said, "I don't think we need to wait for 'in the future.' I already have something I need Miss Crownguard to help with right now."
That was the real reason he hadn't left, and why he ultimately chose to step in and help.
Normally, even if he realized it was a street scam, Luke wouldn't bother meddling. After all, he had no reason to block someone else from making money.
But when it involved him, Luke needed to do something.
The necklace Melli had given him had to be shown to someone who truly understood it—but Luke couldn't trust nobles one hundred percent.
So Lux's appearance was perfectly timed. Because even though it was Luke's first time meeting Lux, he actually already knew a bit about her.
She was a girl he could trust.
When Lux heard Luke's words, she hadn't expected to be needed so quickly, but she wasn't surprised either. She spoke boldly, "No problem. Say it—right now. I'll do everything I can!"
"Let's find a place to sit and talk first."
They found a spot where they could sit down and speak.
In front of Lux, Luke didn't worry about embarrassment. He slipped his hand up under his shirt, fumbling around for a while, and inevitably exposed a bit of his stomach.
Lux looked at his movements oddly. She didn't really understand what he was doing, but because of the goodwill from him helping her earlier, she didn't say anything—she just shifted her gaze to the side, looking into the distance to distract herself.
Because to her, what Luke was doing at that moment looked a little like the kind of sleazy move you read about in novels.
"Ahem, alright."
Hearing Luke's voice, Lux turned back.
She saw Luke take something out from inside his clothes—something that gave off a faint, beautiful glow, sparkling brightly. It looked like a necklace, and judging by the way it looked, it was worth a fortune.
Lux was a young lady from the highest tier of nobility. With one glance, she could tell the necklace in Luke's hand was extremely valuable.
"This necklace is really important to me, so I kept it hidden a bit carefully."
Luke still offered an explanation for himself, even though he didn't need to.
Lux nodded quickly. "Mm-hm, mm-hm, I understand."
At least she could see now that Luke wasn't trying to pull anything shady.
"Can you tell where this necklace comes from?"
Luke handed it to her. The gemstone in the center shimmered with a captivating brilliance—just like the girl's eyes in front of him, impossible to ignore.
Lux's attention had already been drawn in. She was curious now too. Luke's clothing and manners didn't look like a noble's, yet he'd pulled out a necklace like this from his person.
"This is…"
Lux took the necklace and held it up under the sunlight, inspecting it carefully. It really was beautiful, but beyond that, it also felt a little familiar to her.
Inside the gemstone, there were three prismatic star-like facets. It was those three facets that made her feel like she'd seen it somewhere before.
"I remember now—isn't this the symbol of House Lightshield?"
Lux finally pinpointed why it looked familiar. The prismatic star carved into the gem was exactly House Lightshield's emblem.
She subconsciously looked at Luke. This young man, good-looking and unfamiliar, asked, "How did you get this necklace?"
That answer was important. If the necklace was real, and Luke had obtained it through improper means, then its value was enough to get him killed several times over.
"No need to be so tense. This necklace belonged to my mother—but she's already passed away."
Seeing Lux's expression, Luke could already guess this necklace was anything but simple, so he didn't hide anything. "Before she died, she told me to bring it to the capital. But once I got here, I didn't know where I was supposed to go."
"So that's how it is. I'm sorry about your mother."
Lux finished that politely, then said with confidence, "You came to the right person. What you want now is to find where this necklace came from, right?"
Luke nodded.
"Then come with me."
Lux stood up, returned the necklace to him, and then walked forward.
Her mind was already racing. House Lightshield—put another way—was the royal family.
The necklace represented House Lightshield, and the owner of the necklace had been Luke's mother. There was definitely a story hidden in all of this!
Lux was certain!
Her inner gossip fiend was already blazing, determined to get to the bottom of it.
"Where are we going?" Luke asked.
"The royal palace."
Lux's answer was simple and direct—only two words.
Luke fell quiet, thinking.
The moment he heard "Lightshield," he'd felt something was off. Now it was certain: this necklace really wasn't ordinary.
Because even Lux looked startled the instant she took it in her hands.
And she was the precious jewel of House Crownguard—no matter how valuable a necklace was, why would it be enough to surprise Miss Crownguard?
So that meant Lux wasn't shocked by the necklace's price.
She was shocked by what it meant.
Honestly, Luke didn't feel completely steady about this either.
But now, he could only steel himself and follow Lux to the palace.